The defense ministry said Tuesday it has proposed an 8.2 percent increase in the 2027 budget, seeking to accelerate its push for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States, and modernizing forces and capabilities amid a demographic cliff. The proposal calls for a budget of 73.27 trillion won ($53.5 billion), up 5.57 trillion won from 67.7 trillion won in 2026, the ministry said. The on-year rise of 8.2 percent will mark the largest increase in the defense ministry's spending since 2008, if the budget is approved at the National Assembly. The proposed defense budget will represent 2.33 percent of next year's gross domestic product (GDP) forecast, slightly up from this year's 2.28 percent. Seoul seeks to gradually raise its defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP by 2035, aligning with the Donald Trump administration's demand for its allies to shoulder a greater share of their own defense. "It is focused on strengthening our military's self-reliant defense capabilities and pivoting from manpower-heavy forces to a technology-centered military, in response to a